How much does it cost to ship a car overseas

Can You Ship a Car Overseas?

Yes, as much as it is possible to ship a car across the state. It’s also possible to ship a car overseas. There isn’t any rocket science to comprehend to grasp this concept. All you have to do is look for a reliable car shipping company over the country.

A simple keyword such as “Reliable auto transport in the United States” would suffice in order to get you in touch with a reliable auto transport company to ship your car overseas.

However, just like venturing into any services you should also have a proper know-how of the shipping car overseas. To elude yourself getting mixed up with shady shipping companies, an adequate knowledge of auto shipping is always the key.

What is the Cost of Shipping a Car Overseas?

On an average, the cost of shipping overseas starts from $900 to $4500 depending on the size of the vehicle, the level of distance to the destination location and of course, the taxes and import duties that are applied to shipping car to a foreign country.

Unlike shipping a car within the country, shipping a car overseas could become a little more hectic when you don’t know the language of the designated place.

It’s better to hire an agent who would help you with all the bureaucratic hurdles and the language barriers.

A good agent or an agency company would easily enable your vehicle to go through with all the hurdles of car shipping and on to the port.

To retrieve the vehicle from the port, you would need a pass to enter into the vicinity of the port. That pass is highly expensive and no one needs to pay for that pass if hired a reliable agent.

What is The Cheapest Way to Ship a Car Overseas?

The cheapest way to ship a car overseas in hiring a roll-on roll-off service or RORO in short. In RORO, your car is driven to a ship and is chained from the floor.

It is done so that cars would not be able to touch each other, that could result in causing either minor scratches to severe damage.

There are hundreds of cars shipped in this mode of transportation. Making it the most common way to ship a car overseas and also the cheapest.

Hiring a RORO service could time as these shipping services have to fill out their respective quota to head off to the destination point.

To ship a car in RORO, you better clean out your car from undercarriage to the trunk. Everything should be spotless and clean. There should not be any removable or consumable items left in the car.

Or else, your car could get your car confiscated because of a minor cigar as an illegal drug imported or exported to the country. So be extra careful.

What are Other Ways to Ship a Car Overseas?

There are two other ways to ship a car overseas. However, they are not as affordable as hiring a RORO service. The first one is hiring 20 ft container and the other is 40 ft container.

20 ft Container is an expensive way to ship a car overseas. By hiring this service, a separate allocated container is used just for your shipment. It’s also one of the quickest modes of transportation.

As you would have a car in your own hired container. The shipping company will send the container on their next shipping service on an immediate basis.

40 ft Container is a slightly inexpensive way to ship a car overseas. In this service, there are two or more two cars could be shipped at the same time. This would be a cost-effective for the shippers, as there would be more than one shippers.

Enabling them to share the cost of shipping their cars overseas. If you want to want to save some money and want a secure way to ship your car. Then, hiring a 40 ft container would be an ideal choice for you.

Shipping a Car by Air

Besides these two obvious modes of transportation, there is one more way to ship a car overseas. Mind you this mode of transportation isn’t for anyone to afford.

This is the most expensive mode of transportation unless you have got some serious money and an expensive ride you need to ship. If not, then we suggest you to choose otherwise.

Shipping your car by air is only worth your dime when you are about to ship a car which is very expensive like a sports or a vintage car.

Otherwise, it might cost you even more than car’s worth. It’s better to be aware of what you are shipping before you decide on which type of transportation you wish to choose.

One of the perks of shipping a car by air is that it is the fastest mode of transportation. Whereas, hiring a RORO or a shipping container could take you weeks or maybe a month.

Shipping a car by air will transport your car to your desired location within days.

Documents Required for Shipping a Car Overseas

The requirements of shipping within the United States are clear-cut, and we are liable to adhere to the law.

The same goes for shipping a car overseas. There are some countries who have more bureaucratic hurdles and more paperwork than the US.

If you want your car to be shipped to the other country safely and hassle-free. You really don’t have any choice than to follow the rules of that particular country.

In order to retrieve your car from the other country’s port. You are required to have the following documents handy,

Title of the Vehicle

Personal Identification (Passport)

A Bill of Sale

A Bill of Lading (BoL)

Notarized Letter

Insurance Coverage

Proof of Sales Tax

Payment of Import Duty

Power of Attorney (if hired an agent)

The Purpose of Shipping Documents

The purpose of the shipping documents is to verify whether or not the shipper is the rightful owner of the car. For this, they would require the aforementioned documents.

If the car is on the lease, then a notarized letter from the leaser (usually the bank) to allow the car to be shipped overseas.

By following the rules and regulations and having the aforementioned documents. You would easily be able to ship car smoothly and without any hassle.

Why Should I Hire a Customs Agent or Broker?

When you about to ship your car overseas, there would be a tremendous amount of paperwork that you need to dig into. There would a lot of stuff that you wouldn’t be able to understand.

There would be a plenty of visits to the customs that you have to take. If you think you can’t handle it on your own, then it would be wise to hire a customs agent in order to elude you from this overtiring ordeal.

Most of the paperwork would have use jargon which you won’t be to figure it yourself anyway.

Furthermore, if you don’t know or speak the language to the designated place, you are bound to hire someone who speaks the language.

An agent would also take this burden off from your shoulders of enormous paperwork that would require shipping.

Preparing Your Car for Shipping Overseas

Before you send your car to the port for shipping overseas. You have to prepare your car for the voyage without setbacks and hurdles.

In order to do for smooth sailing, you need to adhere to the following preparations for shipping your car,

Gas Tank Level – Before you head on to the port, make sure the level of your gas tank is one-quarter filled. Not more than that. If it’s found, you would probably be charged extra for your car to be carrying extra weight.

Remove Spoilers– It’s better to take out and remove spoilers that can be easily taken out. If you don’t want anything to happen to your beloved spoilers, you should take out prior to shipping.

Have Your Car Washed – It goes without saying, prior to shipping your car overseas you should have a proper car wash. When you get your car cleaned, you would be able to spot out the dents and scratches that weren’t visible before. Make sure to make a note of it and take photographs for good measure.

Clean the Undercarriage – If you don’t want get your mixed up exhausting and painstaking paperwork. You should clean the undercarriage of your car. To eliminate any chance of bringing bugs or pests to the foreign soil. If found, then you would be in a bit of pickle.

Clean Out The Interior– When you are cleaning the undercarriage and exterior of the car, it’s better not leave out any cigarette butts on the ashtrays either. In most of the states, it’s simply exporting illegal drugs. You wouldn’t want to get into that mess, would you?

No Leakages– Ensure that there aren’t leakages found in your car. The car would be in the sea if anything happens because of leakage of oil or any lubricant. Then, you would be in some real trouble.

Have Your Car Inspected– It’s imperative to have your car inspected prior to shipping. Your car must pass muster the emissions test of the foreign soil. If it doesn’t, your car would probably be stuck in the port for god knows how long.

Have Insurance Coverage – It only costs 2% to 3% of your car’s worth and its perks has many. So, don’t ever take risks or any chances on the safety of your vehicle.

These are all basic requirements that you should have to fulfill. For more assistance, you could speak with the respective customs broker to fill you on the rest.

And you can also check out this article to learn in detail about the documents required for auto shipping overseas.